The Silvan Elf: Something Of Mine
by DarthFissure95
Summary: Sixty years after the events of The Silvan Elf, a young Elf named Meleth works on a farm with the yearning to leave. She gets her wish when a wizard interrupts her peaceful life and sends her on an adventure to the Woodland Realm to take back something that belonged to her mother. Along the way, She finds companions, courage, love, and terrifying secrets in a brand new adventure.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is a single volume sequel to my series** ** _The Silvan Elf_** **and focuses on the story of Tauriel's daughter Meleth sixty years after the events of** ** _The Silvan Elf_** **and takes place parallel along the events of** ** _The Lord of the Rings_** **. I would recommend reading** ** _The Silvan Elf_** **first to get full context of what took place before, but it's not completely needed in order to understand what's going on in the story. Hope you guys like it and please leave feedback!**

The Wood-Elves ran out into the woods in a line, ready to face whatever was coming. A full moon was out tonight, painting the woods in a milky blue. Winds tossed up leaves and hugged the Elves that stood waiting. Simultaneously, the Elves drew their swords, eyeing the moonlight reflecting off the silver blades.

Coming out to join them, King Thranduil of the Woodland Realm rode behind the Elves on his elk. He was a handsome, soft-faced Elf with magic hiding the terrible scars and open cheek on his face from being burned by dragon fire. He wore a crown of autumn leaves and twigs, which he had decided to wear into battle this time.

Everyone waited, deathly still as they listened for any noises of incoming enemies. They were coming. Thranduil knew they were.

Finally, Thranduil's ear pricked up when the sound of howling could be heard through his enhanced sense of sound. The others began to pick up on it too, and one of them, named Elros, stiffened in response.

"They are coming," he said.

"Do not be so hasty Elros. There are only a few," Thranduil replied, keeping still on his elk.

"Shall we go to engage them first?" Elros asked.

"No. Stay here."

Everyone held their breath, and for a moment, there were no noises. Nothing could be heard.

Then an Orc leaped out from on top of a tree with a black blade.

Elros met the Orc's blade with his own, grabbing the Orc's wrist and slicing his blade across its throat. The Orc fell with black blood spurting from the gaping wound. It howled and squirmed in pain, seeming to refuse to die. Elros stomped on the cut in the Orc's throat hard and the Orc stopped moving.

Several other Orcs had already come out of hiding however, and were advancing on the Elves.

The Elves twirled their blades and engaged, cutting them down. For a minute, the sounds of shrieking and grunting echoed across the woods, with the occasional disgusting sound of Orc blood spilling all over the ground. Finally, one Orc was left, which Elros and his warriors left for Thranduil to deal with.

In a last-ditch effort to kill the king, the Orc flung himself forward to grab onto the elk and take Thranduil off. The elk shook its head back and forth to try and shake the miserable creature off but it was holding on hard with a dagger in its hand. It managed to plunge its dagger into the elk's head and the animal fell, tossing Thranduil onto the ground.

With a gore-spattered grin, the Orc went after Thranduil again, this time with the intent to kill him, but Thranduil pulled out a short dagger and sank it into the Orc's side, not deep enough to make him bleed out though. The Orc screamed in pain and tried to pull away, but Thranduil wasn't letting go.

"Squirm and I will start cutting up your side," the king warned.

The Orc stopped struggling and sighed. A sick twinkle flitted across its eyes and it started to laugh, causing Thranduil's spine to rattle.

"This one goes back with us for questioning," Thranduil said.**

*Before the king's throne back in the Woodland Realm, Thranduil had the Orc on its knees with Elros keeping a dagger close to its throat. The air in the kingdom was quieter than usual. There was no music and no feasting. The Feast of Starlight had been cancelled because of the growing Orc presence in Mirkwood.

"More and more of your kind have found your way into my borders. I would like to know where you come from," Thranduil said.

The Orc spat at Thranduil and started beating his side where he had been stabbed. Black blood started to fountain out, staining the ground.

Elros tightened his grip on the Orc and pressed the dagger closer to its neck. "You're not allowed to die yet."

"You are testing my patience," Thranduil declared. From his robe, he took out an object covered in a dark cloth.

"Inside this cloth is an object of light that can blind you if you do not cooperate. Where are your kind coming from?" Thranduil asked, his voice rising as his patience waned.

The Orc shivered and finally answered.

"We're coming from Dol Guldur, the abandoned fortress."

"That's not possible. Your Master was banished from the fortress by the Lady Galadriel a little over sixty years ago," Thranduil said.

"We still have our numbers, and our orders. The One is covering all of Middle-Earth, one kingdom at a time. Your kingdom is one of the next to fall," the Orc declared with a wild grin.

Having heard enough, Thranduil moved around Elros and the Orc and started his way down the walkway, slipping the object back into his robe. After waving his hand, Elros slit the Orc's throat in a wet cut and sheathed his dagger.

"What are your orders, King Thranduil?" Elros asked.

"Prepare our people for war."**

*Meleth was woken up by the neighing of horses. Her eyes opened up, recognizing the sunlight through the cracks in the walls. The Elf maid sat up on the bale of hay she slept on. She didn't mind it. She liked the idea of sleeping in a barn with the animals. Was it the most ideal resting place for an Elf? No, but it certainly made her unique that way.

She wore a gray female farmer's smock with a belt tied around it and a sheath containing a dagger clipped on. She also used a round of Elvish rope to lead her own horse out that she uses to ride to Linhir, Lebennin's smallest city, for supplies. Her personal horse was Noro, a brown mare with black hair and a busted eye from ramming into the wall of the barn once.

Meleth led Noro out to give him special treatment like she did every morning. After that, it would be time to ride to Linhir, then come back and tend to the other animals. It was the same routine every day, and has been for almost sixty years. The farmer couple that took her in allowed her to live in the barn and take care of the animals, and so far she had been doing a tremendous job of it. The family would give Meleth enough money to go to Linhir or even the larger city Pelargir on rare occasions.

Once Noro was fed, Meleth whispered a song to him that she heard when she was just a child. Her father used to sing the song to her when she was young. She missed him.

 _I go walking_

 _Beyond the forest_

 _Where the world falls away_

 _And the white light_

 _Of forever fills the air_

For a moment, Meleth forgot that she was singing to her horse, and her thoughts drifted off. She remembered the fields that stretched on for miles with no end in sight. She remembered how the Mallos flowers felt against her hands. She hadn't actually revisited those fields in years. She was used to the sight of grain fields now and the constant sight of corn stalks bending under the breeze.

"Don't go anywhere," Meleth said, stroking her hand down the horse's forehead. Noro snorted in reply.

"Good."

On the upper level of the barn, Meleth filled a large round wooden bucket big enough for her to sit in with clean water from the well outside and stepped in naked, intending to clean herself off before leaving for the city. While allowing the water to rinse the dirt, sweat, and marks from horse droppings off, she traced two fingers across a scar in her shoulder from a deep cut she got from several years ago in an accident when a smaller bucket filled with chopped wood fell from the upper level of the barn and landed on Meleth's shoulder, cutting the skin deep.

There was never another time like that one when Meleth yearned to see her father again more.

The family that gave Meleth the barn to work in knew she was an Elf. They were scared of her because of what she might potentially be able to do, but were kind enough to let her stay in the barn and work to help them. The only other Elf she had ever met in her life was her father. He disappeared a long time ago and never explained where he went. To be honest, Meleth wished that she was just a mere mortal. The thought of working on a farm for eternity made her shudder. Could she just live a limited, wholesome life and then one day pass on?

Aside from the scar on her shoulder, her skin was perfect, as was the case for most Elves, but her fingers had grown rough from years of tending to animals and harvesting. Work lasted from sunrise to sundown.

Because of this endless routine with very little interaction with other people, Meleth had grown into the habit of talking to herself.

"You're just getting thinner and thinner every day aren't you my love?" Meleth asked aloud. She scooped up water with her hands to rinse her top half until the water she was sitting in was filled with muck.

After changing into a silky green outfit given to her by her father when she was old enough to fit into it, along with a black hood, she got on Noro and started her way towards Linhir with enough money to buy herself food.

Linhir was never typically a city that was bustling with people, but as the years went by, the streets were becoming filled more and more. Some say it's because of the growing presence of 'the darkness' taking over Middle-Earth. What was Meleth supposed to do about that though? She was simply an Elven farm girl.

"Elven farm girl. Now that is something most people have probably never heard of before," Meleth said to herself as she rode through the city.

 _Click clack click clack._

Noro's hooves moved across the cobblestone ground as Meleth made her way with him to the market, where the usual marketeer would be waiting for her at the usual time.

"Morning Patsy," Meleth said after dismounting.

"Good morning little Meleth," Patsy replied. He was a kindly old man with a mess of gray hair that had no intention of looking remotely presentable. Despite that Meleth was taller than Patsy, he still called her 'little' Meleth. He said it was because her voice still sounded so young, like his daughter sounded when she was just thirteen years of age. He says that she resides in Minas Tirith now.

"Here for the usual I presume?" He asked.

"You know me well," Meleth replied.

In her sack, she collected six apples, several different kinds of cheeses, and enough bread for toast. Patsy threw Meleth an extra apple for free which she caught perfectly in her hand.

"You better begin leaving now," Patsy said, "I'm afraid that—."

"Mr. Patsy!" A cheerful voice called out. Both Meleth and Patsy cringed at the sound of the young man coming for them. He was tall and thin, about the same height as Meleth. He constantly reached up to adjust his hat and would run his hands down his overalls to smooth them out. Both Patsy and Meleth knew why the boy did all those things.

"It's wonderful to see you today again, Mr. Patsy," the man turned to Meleth, "hello Meleth."

"Hello Zachariah," Meleth replied, trying to keep her eyes away from making contact with him.

"You look—you look beautiful this morning," Zachariah said.

"Thank you Zach. Now I must be continuing my way," Meleth replied.

"But—wait a minute Meleth, I—."

"You heard her Zach, let her go," Patsy cut in, quickly winking at Meleth.

Meleth decided to say something to get Zach off her back. She had been trying to come up with different strategies, none of which were very pleasant, so she had to come up with something else that she felt she would eventually regret.

"Perhaps next time I'm in town, I can stay a little longer and have a cup of tea," she said. Her mind hurt from saying those words.

Zach's face predictably brightened. "Really? I'm mean of course, it wouldn't be too much trouble at all."

"Good. Goodbye, Zach," Meleth said as she mounted Noro. As she continued, she let loose a big sigh and took a large bite into her apple, allowing the juice to drip off her chin, wishing that she could take back every single word. Patsy probably wished that too. Zachariah was not a bad man. In fact, he wouldn't hurt a fly. The problem was that he had no idea what he would be getting himself into by making her his mate. Besides, she's almost forty years older than him. She wondered what his parents would think about that.**

*Meleth came back home to find a letter stamped on the door of the barn. She already knew what it was. The farmers were requesting that she slaughter one of the pigs that she had been keeping alive for so long.

This was the hardest part of her job.

Using a round of her Elven rope, she led the pig along into the slaughterhouse, barring the door behind her.

"I'm so sorry about this," Meleth said as she pushed the pig over to the side and held it there. She removed the dagger from her sheath and waited a few seconds. Sure it wasn't one of the horses, but it still pained her to have to kill any animal.

Raising the dagger in her hand, she curled her fingers around the hilt several times before stabbing the blade into the pig's flesh. The pig screamed but was too weak and hurt to struggle. Meleth twisted the blade around until the pig stopped moving.

It was always when she killed another animal that her whole demeanor would change. It was as if she could hear someone laughing from a great distance. She slumped to the floor in a sitting position, taking her canteen full of water and dumping it down her throat. Once it was empty, she threw it aside.

In the back of her mind, something was tugging at her. Something was calling to her, and it was far away from here.

Whatever it was, its call was growing stronger. When she was younger, at first it was just the faintest of yearning, but now it was like a bug in her throat that wouldn't go away.

What it was though wasn't evil. It had light, but Meleth didn't know why it was pestering her. She knew that she had to find out what it was, but she didn't even know where to get started. Where would she start looking?

She couldn't leave this place. This was the only home she knew, and leaving would mean venturing out into a world that she knew next to nothing about. She had heard stories over the years of course, but not enough to make her feel comfortable about stepping out.

But whether she liked it or not, she was going to have to leave Lebennin, and she was afraid that she will never come back.

She spent half of the following night practicing combat with her dagger. She had an instinct in her to fight, which she assumed she got from her parents. For sixty years she's never had to fight someone before and she didn't like the idea of having to, but she trained herself anyway.

Just in case.

 **AN: Listen to 'Obstacles' by Syd Matters for this week's chapter. It's somewhat of a glimpse into Meleth's memories of her with her father (which you'll get glimpses of in future chapters) and glimpses her hopes to see her father again and really rounds out this whole story that I hope you guys will really like to the end. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Sorry for the late update. I usually try to publish a new chapter every Sunday for this story. Anyway, it's here now. Please leave feedback!**

Elros stood a few paces away from his king Thranduil, still taken slightly aback by the fact that the king was wearing the standard greenish silver armor that his palace's guard typically wear. On the table in front of him was his crown and a goblet full of red wine.

"I have a question Elros," Thranduil said as he took up his goblet.

"Yes, my lord?" Elros asked.

"What am I?"

Elros frowned. "You—you're our king."

Thranduil turned to face Elros with the goblet to his lips. In his eyes Elros could see something deep and cutting: pain. Pain that ran so deep Elros couldn't possibly imagine feeling it, nor did he want to. It looked like Thranduil was in danger of bursting into tears.

"Yes. And do you trust me?" He asked.

"Always, my lord, always."

Thranduil nodded and put the goblet back on the table, tracing his fingers along the rim in thought.

"My lord, why do you ask these questions?" Elros asked.

Thranduil slightly shook his head. "I need assurance. These are—dark times. My son travels now with the Ranger from the North and the Ring is on its way to Mordor now to be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom, but I know not if the quest will succeed."

"Lord Elrond seemed very confident in his decision to send the Ring there. I do not doubt his decisions," Elros replied. Truthfully however, he wasn't actually exactly sure what to think. Sending someone to cast the Ring into Mount Doom, risking so much in the process, seemed like a desperate effort.

"Is that all that troubles you my lord?" Elros asked.

Thranduil nodded, but his eyes clearly said that it wasn't all that troubled him. Thranduil turned his back on Elros. "Leave me. I will join you and your company shortly. If we are at war now with the Enemy, then we must be ready."

"Yes, my lord," Elros said. He bowed and left the room, releasing a great sigh of relief. It always felt like standing in the middle of pins and needles whenever he was in the same room as Thranduil.

 _I trust him_ , _he is my king and he has never failed us yet_.

Inside the room where Thranduil was, Elros was unaware that the king had taken something out of his pocket, which had a bright white glow. Thranduil's eyes widened and glowed along with the thing in his hand.**

*" _Stay away from it_."

 _There was a crash of thunder and then screams of pain_.

 _Meleth found herself standing in the middle of a dark forest_. _Surrounding her feet were piles of Orc bodies, some with arms, heads, and legs missing and splashes of black blood staining the grass_. _Meleth jumped in panic when the Orcs, presumably dead, cried out in high-pitched shrieks that sliced through Meleth's eardrums_. _Blood streamed from their mouths as they screamed._

" _My lord, don't! Please, I beg you_!"

 _Who was that?_

" _Goodbye_ ," _another voice said._

 _A flash of lightning, then dead silence_. _For a moment Meleth began to relax_. _The Orc corpses were fading away, leaving behind bloodstains and severed limbs_. _Then, Meleth heard someone crying_. _A woman_. _When Meleth looked down and lifted her foot, she realized the ground beneath her was soaked in Orc blood, leaving black imprints of it on the bottom of her boots…_

*Meleth suddenly sat up on her bale of hay, wide awake now after the terrifying nightmare. It was similar to other nightmares she had had before, though it had been worse before. In some dreams, she found herself sinking in a river of Orc blood, with the bodies of Orcs and Elven warriors drifting in it.

The first blood-red light of the sun painted the sky outside. She would normally sleep for a half hour more, but after that nightmare, she was afraid to go back to sleep. She got up and slipped on her long green robe, keeping it close around her as if afraid that the cold would make her numb.**

*Having traveled back to Linhir, Meleth rode Noro through the cobblestone streets, taking note of the larger groups of people bustling around and buying more and more food.

"Word is spreading of Orc armies being spotted leaving Mordor. The Steward of Gondor believes that they will attack Minas Tirith," Patsy explained when Meleth came by his market.

"I'm so sorry Patsy, I know your daughter is there. I hope she will be alright," Meleth replied.

A shadow passed over Patsy's eyes. "You and I both, but I can't leave. The Steward is beginning to send out requests to keep us quarantined here until the threat has passed."

Meleth felt her heart grow bitter cold hearing this. She opened her mouth to say something else but was cut short by the arrival of Zachariah. Again.

"Hello Patsy, hello Meleth," he said.

Meleth shut her eyes for a second then turned to face him. "Hello Zachariah."

"It was fortunate that I was able to find you here, I wanted to ask you something."

"What is that?"

"I was wondering if you would like to come home with me and meet my parents, and perhaps stay for lunch, granted that would be alright with you?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Meleth could see Patsy shaking his head slightly as a warning, but Meleth decided to do something different this time. She had a plan in mind to get Zachariah off her back for good.

"That sounds wonderful Zachariah, yes I will go home with you," Meleth said.

Zachariah's eyes widened and a wide grin broke out across his face. "Oh, good! Well then let me buy a few things to go with lunch and I will meet back up with you here."

"I don't know how you could accept such an invitation," Patsy said.

"He has offered his hand one too many times, so I'm finally giving him what he wants, for one time."

"The only place his hand ever offers to go is under a woman's blouse. I hope you know what you're doing."

"Don't worry Patsy. He'll never see me again after this time."**

*Despite the circumstances, Meleth actually found Zachariah's home very warm and welcoming. The living room had a high ceiling with a golden chandelier. There were several silver leather armchairs with an oak table in its center. Meleth could hear the whistling of a kettle going on in another room.

"Ma, Papa, I have a visitor!" Zachariah shouted, almost obnoxiously. The sound of his voice made Meleth wince.

A heavyset bearded man strolled into the room, holding a cup of tea and tiny plate. He looked close to being a dwarf, but was too tall to be one.

"Well hello there. What is your name young lady?"

"Meleth."

"Meleth? Why, that is a Silvan word. Your parents picked a beautiful name."

"Thank you," Meleth said. The mention of 'parents' scaled her mood down lower than it already was. She adjusted the cap she wore on her head, being sure to hide her ears.

"And how was my son Zachariah able to bring home a lovely maid such as yourself?" The man asked.

Now Meleth was beginning to like the man less, because he seemed to be just as unlikable as Zachariah. Like father like son it would seem. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Zachariah's face grow scarlet like an apple. Good.

"Your son is an attractive young man. To tell you the truth, I couldn't fight the urge." She wanted to puke after saying those words. Why did she decide to put herself through this?

"How old are you?" The man asked.

This was it. "I am sixty years of age."

Meleth heard Zachariah gasp then start coughing next to her. His father dropped his cup. It shattered when it hit the ground.

" _Excuse me_?" He bellowed.

"Um, I'm going to walk her out now," Zachariah said.

"You better make it quick young man, and then we are going to have a long talk."

Zachariah pushed Meleth out onto the front porch, his face so red it looked like a demon's head.

"Why did you have to say that to him?" He groaned.

"I was only telling him the truth," Meleth pointed out, trying hard not to laugh. Her plan was working perfectly.

"You never told me that you were an Elf."

"It's not something I fancy telling most people. I almost wish it was different," Meleth admitted.

"Well it doesn't matter. I love you Meleth, and I don't care what my parents think," Zachariah said.

"Zach, please don't do this, you do not want this," Meleth replied, trying to back away while holding her hands up.

"But…"

Zachariah was cut off when he spotted something behind her. Meleth followed Zach's gaze and her eyes widened at the sigh of a short man with a long gray beard riding on a sleigh.

"Is that sleigh being pulled by rabbits?" Zach shrieked, pointing at it with a trembling finger. Meleth silently nodded. The short man stopped the sleigh right beside them.

"You there, Meleth, it is time to go!" The man shouted. He stepped off his sleigh, holding a long oak staff, and grabbed Meleth's wrist, intending on pulling her along.

"Hey, let go of her! You have no right to take her," Zachariah said. He lashed forward and tried to break the man's grip on Meleth.

"My goodness, who are you?" The man asked.

" _I_ am a respectful young man that's trying to protect Meleth from people like _you_ ," Zach said. Despite that Meleth had no wish to go with the man, she still rolled her eyes as she listened to Zach.

Meleth gasped as the man suddenly jabbed the tip of his staff against Zach's head, knocking him out cold.

"That was a scary man," he said.

"Good gracious, what did you do?" Meleth asked in shock.

"I stopped him from talking I believe, he talks too much."

"Will he be alright?"

"I don't know," he replied with a shrug, "I've never bashed a man in the head with my staff before, never had the need to until now, but we must be going!"

"Where are we going?" Meleth asked as the man pulled her onto his sleigh.

"It's not about where _I'm_ going. It's about where _you're_ going."

The man lashed his reins and the rabbits attached to the sleigh bolted, pulling them along down the road.

"I don't understand, what do you need me for? Where am I going?" Meleth asked.

The man didn't talk at first, trying to make sure not to run over people in the street as they leaped out of the way, some dropping food and crates along the way.

"I am Radagast the Brown. I knew your mother," he said.

 _He knew_ …

"But—how?"

"Hold on!" Radagast shouted.

They had reached a sharp turn in the road, and the rabbits started to run up the wall of the building on the corner. Meleth grabbed hold of the handlebar to keep herself from falling off the sleigh as her and Radagast went up the wall of the building and crossed the roof. The rabbits leaped, sending them flying from the building and onto the next building. After a while of going from building to building, Radagast finally directed the rabbits to go back down onto the road. The exit gates were dead ahead.

"Why are we going so fast?" Meleth asked. She shrieked when an arrow sang through the air and bounced off the handlebar, chipping the wood.

Meleth looked up behind her to see several armed men on rooftops aiming at them with arrows. One of them, obviously the commander, shouted orders at them.

"People are growing more hostile towards wizards. If we don't get out of here fast, we'll be taken in for questioning," Radagast said.

" _You_ got me into this fix you old man," Meleth replied.

Radagast raised his hand to silence her. "Be quiet! I'm trying to focus."

Another arrow struck the back of the sleigh right behind Meleth, causing her to jump again.

"Look! They're closing the gates," Meleth shouted, pointing where the gates were. Two small groups of guards were pushing to get the gates shut before they could escape.

A row of archers were situated on top of the front wall, firing arrow after arrow. Meleth took up her dagger, twirling it in her hand as she and Radagast got closer. One arrow came straight for her forehead, which she was able to bat away with the knife.

"Ride! Ride! Quickly now!" Radagast screamed at his rabbits. Terrified by the flying arrows and spurred on by the wizard's voice, the rabbits picked up speed. Radagast reached into a bag sitting next to him and tossed Meleth a long bow.

"Use this! Get some arrows!" He shouted.

"I don't want to—kill anyone—."

"You don't have much of a choice, we need _something_ to defend ourselves!"

Meleth reached into the bag, pulled out an arrow, and put it in her bow. With trembling hands, she aimed at one of the archers and fired. The arrow badly missed, whistling straight through the air next to the archer, who barely moved.

"Oh how effective!" Radagast remarked.

With an irritated grunt, Radagast grabbed his staff and handed the reins over to Meleth.

"Get us through the gate, I'll handle the rest!" Radagast screamed.

Meleth felt terror bolt through her with the reins in her hands. Her heart beat so fast it was a wonder that it hadn't exploded straight out of her chest yet.

She couldn't help but watch Radagast as he pointed his staff up at the waiting archers, and a surge of lightning blew out, striking all the archers on the wall and knocking them out. One of them fell off and took a few of the men shutting the gate down with him. Finally, they reached the gates, able to fit through just in time as the gates finished getting shut behind them.

"Keep going!" Radagast shouted.

Feeling a spur of motivation, Meleth lashed the reins again, feeling more confident this time. She and Radagast got far enough away from the city to not fear that anybody would go after them. The sleigh came to a stop.

Radagast stepped off the sleigh, slightly dazed from the ride. "I may be a wizard, but that does not mean I don't get tired."

"I'm sorry," Meleth replied with a nervous grin.

"Well, no matter. I didn't take you out here to complain about your riding skills," Radagast turned around with his staff in hand so that he was looking directly into Meleth's eyes.

"Meleth, I know who you are. You're going on an adventure," he said.

 _What?_

"An adventure? Why me? Where am I going?"

"You're going to Mirkwood near Esgaroth, the other side of the world, to reclaim something that rightfully belongs to you," Radagast said.

"What is it?" Meleth asked.

"A white gem. It belonged to your grandmother, which was passed down to your mother. It resides there now and it is your task to take it," Radagast said.

"What is so important about the white gem though? Why is it special?"

"It—well, it's a—magical gem?"

"That is the best you can give me? I have never dabbled in any kind of magic before, I am merely a farmer," Meleth said.

Radagast stepped forward and placed a hand on Meleth's shoulder. "I'll be honest, I cannot tell you everything you need to know. Only that you must take the gem back, and strike down anyone who tries to take it from you if it comes to it. Telling you everything is too risky. You will be faced with making some very difficult decisions, and those are decisions that you must discover for yourself."

"Will you come with me? Can we not go together?" Meleth asked. She felt tears rising in her eyes. She didn't understand. Her simple life had been suddenly made complicated. She was content with her life, why abandon that contentment now?

"I will be there when you really need me, but there is other business I must attend to. The Darkness is making its move on Gondor as we speak, so you must leave and find the gem before things get worse. You will find companions along the way, _that_ much I can tell you. But you don't need a wizard to handle this. All I'm meant to do is give you a little nudge out of the door. You can even stay if you want, but considering that the city saw you with me, I don't believe it would be a good idea."

Meleth stared down at the bow that Radagast had given her. It was a beautiful green bow and it was a good way to distract herself for a moment while she thought this through. She knew where Esgaroth was, thanks to the maps of Middle-Earth she looked through in Linhir, and she had even taken one for herself to nail on the wall in her barn.

She always wondered what happened to her mother. She wondered if her mother was the one who cried out for mercy in her nightmares. If there was a remnant of her mother out there that she can have, then it was her job to find it and hold on to it.

Maybe this gem was the source of the longing Meleth had felt for so long now. Maybe once she retrieves it, she will feel complete.

"Alright, I'll go."

"Good, good, wonderful. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Radagast got on his sleigh, threw Meleth the bag and picked up the reins.

"Wait a moment," Meleth said.

"Yes?" Radagast asked, an irritation evident in his voice.

"I heard stories that wizards can use Eagles to take them places. Can I—have an Eagle?"

"Oh no, not an Eagle. They are busy in this time and you are meant to travel there yourself. You won't meet your companions if you take an Eagle. I cannot believe you would even ask me that," Radagast said. He lashed the reins and the rabbits pulled him away, leaving Meleth behind in the field with an open jaw.

"Elves," Radagast remarked.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Sorry for the long wait! Here is the third chapter. Please leave feedback!**

Back in her barn, Meleth searched through the sack Radagast left behind for her, taking note of the bow and quiver of arrows. She had never actually taught herself archery growing up, and she wasn't sure what she was going to do since there was no one that can teach her now. It seemed she was on her own with that.

Other things she found in the sack was a canteen meant to fill with water for drinking, long twin daggers of a kind she had never seen before, and a pan and wooden spoon to use for cooking over fires.

 _Truly, Radagast prepared me for this. It must be that serious._

Meleth usually talked to herself, but she was so overwhelmed now by the unexpected journey she was sent on that she was speechless.

 _I'm going away from home_.

Meleth wondered if she should tell the couple that let her live in the barn. Was it even necessary? What if they don't want her to go?

 _You're supposed to do this. This journey is meant for you to take, whether they want you to go or not_.

She packed all she needed, including food, tools, and everything Radagast gave her with the quiver of arrows and her bow on her back and the daggers in the sheaths strapped to her belt.

Taking a deep breath, Meleth pushed the doors of the barn open, feeling the heat of the sun's rays as she stepped out of her home one last time. She let loose a very light whistle, listening to the sound sail over the wheat fields alongside the wind. A smile broke out across her face as her precious black horse Noro came running towards her, stopping beside her and shaking his head.

"There, there, Noro. We're going away for a while," Meleth said, stroking his nose. She dwelled on what Radagast told her.

 _You're going to Mirkwood near Esgaroth, the other side of the world, to reclaim something that rightfully belongs to you. A white gem._

White gem. That sounds easy enough to find.

Meleth knew what resided in Mirkwood. She had learned enough to know thanks to the questions she asked travelers in Linhir that it was home to the king of the Woodland Realm there. A kingdom of wood-elves ruled by King Thranduil. Thranduil must be the one that possesses the white gem now. How did it end up in the king's hands to begin with?

Meleth swung herself onto Noro, taking another look back at the barn, at what she had known for so long. She was leaving it all, she had no idea if she will ever come back.

Despite all the news of Mordor emptying itself of its armies to invade the whole of Gondor, Meleth didn't come across any Orcs or other kinds of foes on her journey to reach the borders of the region. Even when she stopped to bite into one of her apples and let Noro rest, the air was peaceful. She could sense that there was trouble close by, but it wasn't close enough for her to be worried. It made her wonder though why Radagast wanted her to leave her home to travel to the other side of the world, if the region she was leaving actually needed help from someone like her more now than ever.

"This feels wrong. I do not feel I am using my time wisely," Meleth admitted aloud to herself. She took another sad bite from her apple and sank down the tree she was resting against.**

*Situated on a small hill along the river Ciril, was the city of Calembel, the capital of the province of Lamedon. Meleth had never been to Calembel. She was already farther away from home then she has ever been. The city appeared more ancient then Linhir or Pelargir. The entire city was made out of stone that honestly looked as though it was about to crumble. Moss and algae had grown and made its way up the walls of some of the taller buildings. With the sun setting behind her, Meleth knew she would have to find a place where she can stay.

There was barely anyone on the streets. A lot of the windows in the buildings were closed up. The people here knew that terrible things were out there, ready to pounce on them at any moment. It made Meleth wonder if there was truly any place in the world that was safe.

"You!" Someone shouted.

Meleth abruptly stopped her trot on Noro and looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. Nothing.

"Hey you! Over here!" The voice shouted.

Meleth turned the right way this time to see a Man standing in between two shorter buildings. He was dressed in a heavy, gray traveler's cloak. On his belt was a sheath where a sword was being kept.

"What is your destination?" The Man asked.

Meleth felt her heart shiver. She didn't want to be interviewed by strangers, especially not in this time.

"I do not feel like telling you that," she replied.

The Man laughed, but it was a cheerful one. His eyes showed off innocence.

"The sunlight bids us ado for the day. Perhaps you would like to come join me and my friends?" He asked, gesturing behind him. Meleth squinted to try to see anyone behind the Man, but no one was there.

"How can I know to trust you?" Meleth asked.

"In these dark times, you don't. Now, will you come? They're just around the corner."

Meleth started heading the Man's way, but stayed on her horse with one hand close to the sheath for one of her daggers just in case. Once she was around the corner of the building, she was surprised at what she saw. Standing around a barrel heaped with smoking coals was a male Elf and another Man, except he was unnaturally short, like a dwarf, and appeared heavy like one too. The Elf had two ears longer and sharper than hers, and his eyes were a cloudy gray that betrayed the fact that he had mysteries hidden inside him. Despite the traditions of the Elves to possess long, fair hair, this Elf's hair was cut shorter and was a mess. Random strands poked out from different places and almost looked crusty and sticky. He wore a gray traveler's cloak like the Man, but Meleth could tell that he wore a leaf-green outfit that Wood-Elves were known for wearing, complete with the tall boots.

The man-dwarf had long, course hair and wore a coat made out of the fur of a Warg. In his hand, with the edge resting on the ground was an axe.

What startled Meleth the most, of course, was seeing the Elf.

"What realm or kingdom do you come from?" Meleth's first words were. She bit her tongue when she realized how sudden that must have been. She didn't mean to start the conversation that way, but she was obsessively curious.

"It's an honor to meet you too," the Elf replied with a bow and a mischievous grin.

"This young She-Elf will be joining us for supper," the tall Man announced. Despite that Meleth never said she would, she found herself getting off Noro and finding a post to tie the reins to.

"Good. My name is Taenor. This Dwarf with me is Tholgin," the Elf said.

Meleth's eyes widened. "The short Man is a Dwarf?" She felt her whole body stiffen. For starters, she knew that Elves and Dwarves didn't have a very pacifistic history, and the second thing was that Tholgin's face was as cleanly shaved as it can ever get.

"I see why you would be confused, little lass. You see, all this—," Tholgin gestured around his face, "was taken from me when I announced my intention to depart from my clan."

"I left my home too for a different life," Taenor admitted.

"And what about you?" Meleth asked the taller Man.

"My name is Esau, and I am just a scavenger with no family," the Man said.

"Oh."

"We all share our own pain, and we work together to fight it off. That is what makes us a fellowship together," Esau explained.

"Three people, each of them from different races, facing our world's problems together," Taneor said.

"Come, sit. We were just about to indulge ourselves in Tholgin's famous beef soup. A little bit of bread on the side would have perfected it though," Esau said.

"Aye, but in this city, no one is willing to step out of their homes and let us have any of theirs," Tholgin pointed out as he started filling bowls with the soup from a pot.

Meleth could feel the heat of the soup long before her own bowl was passed over to her. She looked down at it. It wasn't that much to boast about. Slices of beef and carrots floating around in a dark brown broth.

"Where are the spoons?" She asked.

Taenor, Tholgin, and Esau looked at each other, their mouths curving into vague smiles, then their eyes bulged and they lost their sanity to laughter.

"You obviously have never traveled very far before," Tholgin said.

"No, I have not."

"You tip that bowl just a wee bit lil' lass, and let it run down your throat."

As if needing to demonstrate in order for Meleth to understand, all three of the travelers tipped the bowls and swallowed some of the soup. They all let loose groans in their satisfaction. Meleth stared back down at the bowl, feeling her heartbeat start to rise at the realization that she was actually hungrier than she thought she was.

"Oh dear," she moaned before tipping the contents into her mouth. The broth touched her tongue and she spat it out. Some of the broth landed on the coals, unleashing a sizzling sound.

Tholgin laughed, his body shaking so hard he was in danger of spilling his own soup.

"The lil' lass can't handle it."

"No, no, it's good, it's just—," Meleth stuttered while wiping her mouth, "It's just hotter than I thought it would be."

"Perhaps we can remedy that. Tholgin…" Taenor said.

Tholgin stood back up with a proud smile, his eyes twinkling with delight.

"You need not ask twice."

"Then don't make me," Taenor replied with a laugh. From his cloak, he produced a silver, spotless flute.

Meleth turned to Esau, unsure what to think.

"What are they doing?" She asked.

"Just watch," Esau replied with a smile that revealed all his teeth.

Taenor began to play the flute, and Tholgin began to sing (yes, sing).

 _Seven stars and seven stones_

 _But north yonder lies the Arkenstone_

 _Bathed in white_

 _The gem shines bright_

 _Rests it does on the heart of a king_

 _A better treasure than any can bring_

 _Seven stars and seven stones_

 _But north yonder lies the Arkenstone_

Meleth found herself surprised by the dwarf's impressive singing voice. There was a rich passion in his tone that caused her heart to soften a bit. At each passing minute, she was feeling safer and safer in this company.

Before she could stop herself, she started clapping, and found herself being the only one that was doing that.

"I like this one. Can we keep it?" Tholgin asked.

"Tholgin, we know not where she even comes from. What if she's some sort of spy?" Esau asked.

"If you think she might be, why did you invite her to join us?" Taenor asked.

This silenced Esau.

"Well?" Taenor pressed.

"I'm from Lebennin. I lived with my father until he left, and worked for farmers until it was my time to leave," Meleth spoke up.

"And where are you going?" Tholgin asked.

Meleth hesitated. Should she really tell them where she was going? What harm would it cause? There was no ill will she had by traveling to the Woodland Realm.

"To the Woodland Realm near Esgaroth, in the forest of Mirkwood," Meleth answered.

Esau's and Tholgin's eyes widened and they both turned to look at Taenor, whose cloudy eyes seemed to grow even hazier.

"What business do you have with the Wood-Elves?" He asked.

"I—I do not even know. A wizard named Radagast sent me there to retrieve something that belonged to my mother."

Taenor looked more troubled. Something was on his mind that was bothering him.

"What is it?" Meleth asked.

Taenor sighed. "It's nothing—."

"The Woodland Realm was his home. It is where he came from," Tholgin spoke up. Taenor shot him a venomous stare but Tholgin ignored him.

"You are from the Woodland Realm?" Meleth asked.

Taenor sighed again. "Yes."

Meleth had to know everything she could now. She had to know what she was getting into.


	4. Chapter 4

*Before Meleth could ask Taenor any questions about his life prior to joining his companions, her whole body froze completely still at the sound of someone screaming. Taenor immediately stood up with his daggers already twirling in his hands, and Tholgin and Esau followed suit, removing their own weapons, Tholgin with an axe and Esau with a long sword and silver hilt.

"I think they've finally caught up to us," Taenor said, his voice tinged with unmistakable worry.

"Who?" Meleth asked.

"The Black Fang," Tholgin replied.

"That is the name of their leader anyway. His group is known as the Ravagers, and they are going the same way as you are," Taenor explained as they slowly moved along the wall of the building they were behind.

"Mirkwood?" Meleth asked.

Taenor grimly nodded, causing Meleth's spine to rattle. If Taenor was telling the truth, then that meant her journey was a lot more dangerous than she thought.

"This way," Esau urged, motioning for them to follow him. They ran up a set of stairs along the side of a building to reach the roof. They lied low, and Meleth looked down at the streets, trying to find the Ravagers.

Then she saw them. In the milky white of the moonlight, she saw the black figures carrying swords as dark as the night sky. But there was something else much more unsettling about them. Something that she had never seen in her life until now, and even though she saw them in her dreams and heard many stories about them, she realized how far from ready she was to actually see them in the flesh.

The Ravagers were Orcs.

They were as revolting as she heard they were. Their skin looked like lethally burnt flesh, some of which looked as though it was peeling away like dry paint, with shiny yellow eyes that stuck needles in Meleth's skin when she stared at them. Their rotting, gore-caked teeth glinted and cracked, hungry to feast upon man flesh.

In the grip of the tallest leader in the group, evidently the Black Fang, was a man hopelessly struggling to break free.

When the Black Fang spoke, he spoke in a different language that Meleth had never heard someone speak in before, but somehow she knew what he was saying.

"We know that three travelers were coming through here. An Elf, a Dwarf, and a Man. Where are they?" The Fang asked.

"I—I don't know. I've never seen them—we're all locked inside— _ah_ —."

"Shut yer mouth or it comes off! Now try to be of some use to me!" The Fang ordered.

"That's all I know—I swear it!"

The Black Fang raised the black sword he held in his other hand. Meleth's hand bolted for one of her daggers, but Taenor stopped her, clutching her hand with his own.

Meleth could only watch on in horror as the Black Fang swung his sword and decapitated the man.

The Fang spat at the headless body on the ground. "Spread out and find them! I want them brought to me alive—and unspoiled!"

"We've got to get out of here," Taenor whispered.

"I'll lead the way. I'm the shortest, so I can find us a way out easier," Tholgin pointed out.

"Of course you can. I was just about to suggest that," Esau replied.

"No you were not."

"Go," Taenor snapped, waving his hand to spur Tholgin on. He throws him a roll of rope, knowing they couldn't go back down the stairs.

"Lead Meleth and Esau on. I will join you shortly," he said.

"You cannot be serious," Esau said.

"I am _this_ time. Now go."

Without arguing with him further, Tholgin throws the rope over the back side of the building and ties one end to one of the wall posts. After climbing down first, Meleth and Esau followed him. Meleth looked at Taenor quickly before going down.

"Be safe," she said aloud. She wondered if Taenor heard her.**

*"Be safe," Taenor heard the Elven girl say before she disappeared. Despite the circumstances, Taenor smiled and his hand strayed towards one of his daggers. The Black Fang was standing in the middle of the road alone, surveying his surroundings and trying to pick up a scent. Taenor's scent.

"I know you're here, Taenor. I can smell your air. Come on out and face me, like you dared to do before," he cried out.

Taenor stayed low, not daring to show himself yet.

"Your overconfidence dooms you. What do you hope to gain from killing me?" Taenor asked.

The Black Fang laughed, rattling his heavy, cracked armor forged from Mordor. "You are from the Woodland Realm, yes? That is what me and my soldiers are headed to extinguish. Your people have been in hiding for too long."

"They are _not_ my people," Taenor replied.

"Then you won't mind if I make you watch them burn," the Fang mocked.

 _Well_ , _I cannot let_ that _happen either_.

Taenor leaped from his hiding place on the roof, plummeting towards the ground with his daggers out and ready.

Swinging one dagger to slash the Fang's stomach, the giant Orc jumped back with a roar that revealed the only four teeth he had which was encrusted with dry red blood. He came forward with his long black sword and slashed downward, attempting to cut down Taenor's face.

Taenor lifted both his daggers and felt his arms vibrate as the blade came down on them with a sharp clang.

The Fang grinned. The foul stench of shredded flesh and dry blood from his mouth that assaulted Taenor's nostrils was so overpowering he could also taste it as if it was in his own mouth.

The Fang pushed back, wrenching Taenor off his feet. Taenor landed on his back, dropping one of the daggers at his side. He managed to roll to the side as the Fang brought his sword down, intent on slicing the Elf's stomach. With an impatient roar, the Fang reached down and grabbed Taenor, lifting him up into the air like he was lifting the villager not too long ago. Taenor felt his daze explode into searing pain as the Orc head-butted him and dropped him like a rag doll.

Taenor landed on his face this time, feeling fresh pain course through his skin as if it had become part of his bloodstream.

 _Not a great start_.

He could hear the Fang's sword whistling through empty air to stab him in the back, but he rolled again and leaped to his feet, ignoring his body's cries of pain in order to focus.

 _Your feet are stumbling, stop stumbling!_

Taenor then realized that the Black Fang had removed a large, black bow from his back and was stringing an arrow in to fire it at him.

The arrow went sailing and whistled all the way towards Taenor. Taenor managed to bat it away with one of his daggers. It flew and struck the ground, flipping over in a wild arc. In a rage, the Fang lashed out again at Taenor with his sword behind his head.

With one fleeting thought, Taenor grabbed the arrow the Fang had shot at him and stuck it straight through the Fang's shoulder as he came at him, watching the tip stick out from the other side. The Fang whimpered like a wounded puppy, staring down at the place where the arrow was stuck in him. Taenor grinned with satisfaction while a heavy stream of black blood spurted out from the wound and pooled at the Fang's feet.

He twirled his daggers with the determination to finish the Black Fang off, only to get struck in the side of the head by the Fang's other hand. Heavy rocks of pain exploded across his cheek and he felt himself go flying across the cobblestone street. The place where he had been struck felt slick and wet when he checked. Through blurry vision he could see the Fang sprinting towards him, with the arrow still in his shoulder.

The Black Fang laughed. "You Elf filth. You dared to challenge me, and in the end, you are not standing over _my_ body laughing."

"I _am_ laughing actually. You have an arrow in your shoulder," Taenor replied as he struggled to get back on his feet.

The Fang reached up and yanked the arrow right out of his shoulder. His blood trickled and dripped from the tip.

"Goodness," Taenor said.

"I will use this to kill _you_ ," the Fang replied.

Finally back on his feet with his right ear ringing, he turned and bolted to climb up the first building that was closest to him, keeping himself steady and watching his feet as he leaped up onto one of the windowsills and then jumped for another one above him to get to the roof. He finally reached the top just as another one of the Fang's arrows flew and struck one of the rooftop posts directly next to him.

"I hope the others are faring better than I am."**

*Meleth followed Tholgin and Esau through their own confusing path between the buildings and across the cobblestone streets. It was a big city, but it was so empty and lifeless at the same time.

"Where are we going?" Meleth whispered close behind Esau.

"To the north gate. We can meet Taenor there and get out of here," Esau replied.

"There they are! Kill them, boys!" An Orc cried out.

Meleth jumped at the sound of the thing's voice, and her hands pulled out her daggers, instinctively twirling them in her hands. On one side of her and the others was three Orcs running after them with their swords high in the air.

Meleth ducked as one of the Orcs attempted to behead her. Straightening back up, Meleth stabbed one of her daggers into the Orc's forehead. The Orc froze, its jaw agape as it processed the screaming pain exploding through its head. Meleth twisted the dagger in the Orc's head, hearing a disgusting crunch as she did, and then pulled it out. The Orc fell, leaving Meleth to feel shocked at what she managed to do. She gazed down at the blood and gore staining her blade.

She wasn't sure how she felt about it. It was an Orc she killed, but it didn't make it any more tolerable to her.

She looked to see Esau crouch down for Tholgin to leap onto his back, then jump to plunge his axe into the head of another Orc. The Orc screamed and tried to keep his footing, struggling to stay up despite having an axe lodged in his head, but Tholgin kicked it off its feet. The Orc collapsed and its head cracked open like a half-chopped watermelon, spilling blood and innards all around him. Tholgin reached down to retrieve his axe, and Esau threw a throwing knife at the third Orc, which sank into its neck.

For a moment, no one spoke. Meleth was too tired already to speak, but Esau and Tholgin looked triumphant.

"What a fair fight. Each of us got to kill an Orc," Esau said. He turned to face Meleth. "Well done."

"Thank you," Meleth replied, his voice barely above a whisper between her heavy breaths. She looked around at the corpses.

"What a mess," she said aloud.

"What?" Esau asked.

"It's nothing. We should continue on to the gate."

No one argued. All three of them continued sprinting towards the north gate to leave the city. Meleth's heart rate sped up as she heard the frustrated cries of Orcs behind her. She could hear several people scream, and for a second, she felt compelled to turn around and go back to help whoever was in danger, but she knew it was foolish.

"Where is Taenor?" Meleth asked.

"Hopefully not far behind. Have faith in him. _We_ always do," Esau replied.

They finally reached the gate, where Taenor was already waiting for them.

"What took you so long?" He asked.

"Shut up. Let's go!" Esau urged.

Once they were a safe distance from Calembel, they sat down in the field, where Meleth finally noticed the deep cut in Taenor's cheek.

"You're bleeding," she pointed out.

Taenor wiped the spot on his cheek and stared at the crimson smear on his hand.

"Oh, now _that's_ not fair," he whined.

"You idiot, what did you do?" Esau asked as he came forward with a torn piece of his robe.

"I faced the leader, the Black Fang," Taenor said.

Tholgin sighed. "Of course you did. You're the most reckless of the three of us."

"So I am. You already knew that," Taenor said. He took the piece of robe and pressed it hard against the wound to stop the bleeding.

Despite the circumstances, Meleth couldn't help but smile. There was just something about the whole thing that she found amusing. She had never found herself in a situation like that, and it felt—refreshing. For the first time since her father left her, she didn't feel alone.

But she had to move on. She had to continue her journey to the Woodland Realm.

"I must go on. As more Orcs crowd these cities, I run out of time," Meleth said.

"But that is precisely why you need companions," Taenor replied.

"What?"

"Taenor, are you serious. Do you mean to go with her?" Tholgin asked.

"Yes. And there is nothing you can do to stop me," Taenor replied.

Meleth couldn't believe it. She was going to have a companion to continue the adventure with her. There was no way she was going to argue with Taenor. She needed someone, and Radagast told her that she would meet companions along the way. This was part of the journey she was meant to experience.

"You have my thanks Taenor, and I accept," Meleth said.

"Then we're coming too," Tholgin said.

 _What now_?

"Tholgin is right. Where Taenor goes, _we_ go. That's how it works," Esau said, crossing his arms in a defiant pose.

"I am not asking you to," Taenor said.

"It matters not. You're stuck with us," Esau replied with a winning grin.

"Very well, it's fine. I just do not know how you think this will benefit you. This journey is for _me_ ," Meleth said.

"Well, in this time, making sure you get to Mirkwood safely so that you can find what you're looking for would be a satisfying accomplishment to us," Esau said. Tholgin and Taenor nodded in agreement.

Meleth took a deep breath. So this was actually happening. There was no leaving them behind. "Very well."**

*For the first time in hundreds of years, Thranduil's people were standing outside the kingdom brandishing their swords and prepping each other for battle. Whether they liked it or not, war was coming, and no matter how much Thranduil wanted to avoid it, there was no turning his back on it. This was for the protection of his people's lives as well as his own.

"My king, your men are afraid. I can feel it," Elros said next to him.

"Fear has infected even the strongest of warriors in these days. Encourage them. Do what you have to do to prepare them. There is not much time left," Thranduil replied.

"I understand," Elros said with a bow.

Once Elros was gone, another person approached Thranduil.

"I know what you want me to do. You want _me_ to be the one to speak to them," Thranduil said to the beautiful Elf behind him.

 _That would be the truth, yes_.

Galadriel's voice in the king's head caused him to shiver, despite the warm tone it carried.

 _I believe your presence here should be enough_ , Thranduil replied.

 _I will not be able to stay for long_.

 _You're afraid_.

 _And you are too_. _I cannot fight the darkness as well as I once did_.

 _Why will you not pass into the West already then?_ _So many have already left_.

 _Because you are still here_. _And because the Ring is not destroyed yet_. _My time here is not yet finished_.

Thranduil smirked. _I am unworthy to speak to my people_. _They must find their courage on their own, or perish_.

 _If they are left to seek courage on their own_ , _then they_ will _perish_.

Thranduil felt Galadriel leave him, alone with the thunderstorm in his head.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hope you guys like this chapter. Please leave feedback!**

Meleth was startled awake by Tholgin shaking her.

"What? What on earth is it?" She asked. Tholgin put his hand over her mouth to silence her and brought a finger to his own mouth.

"Shh, I'm hungry," Tholgin said.

Meleth sighed and shut her eyes again. "You have plenty of food with you."

She was shaken awake again, having not even realized that she had immediately fallen back to sleep.

"I want something different, and I can only get it with your help," Tholgin said.

"What do you mean?" Then Meleth realized what she meant. "No. No no no, I can't."

"What do you mean you can't? You're an Elf, you have a bow with arrows. Let us go before the others wake," Tholgin replied.

Against Meleth's dire wishes, Tholgin pulled her up, barely needing to put so much effort into it because of how light she was.

"Let's go hunting," he announced under his breath.

 _You mean_ I _go hunting_ , Meleth thought.

The sky was completely overcast and it was still fairly dark in the woods. The lack of color and light caused Meleth to feel drowsy all over again. Her feet stumbled as she followed Tholgin, away from the others who were still sound asleep. Meleth knew she wasn't wrong when she thought she heard Esau talking in his sleep. It sounded like he was saying someone's name over and over again, but Meleth didn't get enough time to figure out what exactly the name was before she got far enough away from them.

"A nice, large deer would suit me—and the others too of course," Tholgin whispered.

Despite that Tholgin was the first dwarf Meleth had ever met, the fact that he didn't have a beard at all was distracting to her. How come he didn't have a beard, like every other dwarf she had heard of?

"If you are going to force me to hunt for you, dwarf, then enlighten me on something. Why do you not have a beard?" Meleth asked.

"Ah, goodness. I was hoping that maybe I can tell you some stories I have never told anyone else before. But no, you would rather ask me the most tired question. It was cut off, young one. By my own kin," Tholgin replied, his voice softening as he said the last part.

Meleth stopped in her tracks. "Oh. I'm sorry."

Tholgin waved his hand in dismissal. "And how are you at fault, my lady? You had nothing to do with it."

"So why did they do that?" Meleth asked.

Tholgin stopped in his tracks and stiffened. He raised his hand to get Meleth to stop.

"What is it?" Meleth whispered.

Tholgin looked around, trying to see if he can spot something in the thickets around them.

"It's nothing. A false concern, nothing more."

Meleth realized something as she continued walking. "Now wait just a moment. You knew there was nothing. You are just stalling so that you don't have to tell your story."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because if there was something, I would have heard it. You forget that my kind has a great sense of hearing."

"How could I forget that? I have a friend who is an Elf," Tholgin said, walking on and getting further away from Meleth.

"Do you know what I think, dwarf?" Meleth said.

"I do not know and I do not particularly care."

"I think you're a coward."

Tholgin froze in his tracks and spun around to face Meleth. Scarlet roasted his face, but it wasn't anger. He was humiliated.

" _Coward_?"

"Yes. A coward who does not like to tell a harmless Elf woman how he got his beard cut off, even though he was more than willing to travel with her, and a coward who won't even go hunting for something on his own," Meleth said.

"Now you listen well—."

Tholgin stopped and even Meleth stiffened when they both heard a sound. The sound of something running across the ground. Something had been scared away. Meleth slung an arrow in her bow and shot one last glance at Tholgin before moving stealthily towards a tree for cover to look out. Tholgin stayed close behind her, keeping crouched despite his height.

Meleth looked around the tree and saw a large deer a good few feet away. It was reaching its head down to pluck some grass up.

"There. There is our prize," Tholgin whispered.

"Quiet. I'll need to concentrate," Meleth said.

Moving as quietly as she could, Meleth got closer to the deer, making sure to stay clear away from its sight.

"I cannot believe this," she couldn't help but whisper to herself.

There was a deer and she was about to shoot it. She had never done something like this before.

She gulped, and tried to keep her hands steady as she raised her bow to aim at the deer and fire her arrow right in the center of its side.

 _Three…two…one…_

But just before Meleth could release the arrow, the deer raised its head and faced her, its ears perking up as its eyes locked on to her.

Meleth couldn't believe her eyes while watching what happened next. The deer began to walk straight towards her.

"What are you doing?" Tholgin hissed behind her.

"I do not know," Meleth admitted. The deer was getting closer now.

 _This is impossible_.

And yet, the deer approached her and stopped. It gazed straight up at her with an admiration in its eyes that Meleth was somehow able to detect.

Meleth began to feel admiration too. She could feel the beginning of a smile form on her lips and she reached out a free hand to touch the deer. Even then, the deer didn't reel back.

The moment was shattered completely when an arrow found its mark in the side of the deer's body.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" Meleth screamed.

"In the name of the Valor, you did not do that," someone said.

Meleth turned to see Taenor coming toward her with his own bow.

"You killed it."

"Of course I did. We need some venison," Taenor said as he took out a knife from his sheath.

"I spent so much of my life taking care of animals, and now I'm watching them get killed for food," Meleth said to herself, but Taenor heard every word.

"Did you have to take care of deer too?" He asked.

"No."

"I did not think so," Taenor said. "Tholgin, come help me with this."

Taenor and Tholgin picked up the body of the now-dead deer to take back to their camp.

Meleth wasn't done though. She was having a moment with the deer, and Taenor took that away from her. Why was the deer not frightened of her in the first place? Not only that, but the deer seemed drawn to her too. She started following the others.

"You are horrid. What were you thinking by shooting that deer?"

"My stomach was thinking for me, actually," Taenor replied.

"That is no excuse. What a monster you are."

"Well, at least I'm not alone now," Tholgin commented.

"How do you mean?" Taenor asked.

"She called me a coward earlier."

"Ah, well in that case she was correct."

"How dare you side with her. If I was a real coward, I would be hiding my face all the time."

"You're barely brave enough to start campfires."

"I—."

"E- _nough_!" Meleth shouted, stamping her foot in the ground.

Taenor and Tholgin stopped, glancing over at Meleth with surprise in their eyes.

"Put. The deer. Down," Meleth commanded.

With no desire to argue, Taenor and Tholgin dropped the deer, almost recklessly as if it was the corpse of an Orc.

"You wanted to come with me on this journey, correct?" Meleth asked.

Taenor and Tholgin both nodded.

"Then if you are to be part of a company with me, you cannot argue amongst each other. Time is short, and you will only make me lose that time should your fighting continue. Now, since I am the one that is meant to travel to the Woodland Realm in the first place, _I_ am your leader if you are going to travel with me. Is that understood?"

Taenor and Tholgin looked at each other stunned. They were no doubt flabbergasted by the fact that they were being bossed around by an Elven woman.

"Good. Now let's get back to the camp and see what we can do with this venison that Tholgin desired so much," Meleth ordered.

No one spoke another word the rest of the way back to the camp where Esau was waiting for them. He was sitting cross-legged with his eyes shut in deep concentration, and never even so much as twitched when Taenor and Tholgin dropped the deer's body on the ground.

"Taenor knows the best way to prepare the venison. I'll leave him to that," Tholgin said. He held out a knife for Taenor to take, but he refused to take it.

"My own daggers will cut the meat in a cleaner fashion. I don't want blood and animal insides all over my clean outfit," Taenor said.

Tholgin grunted but slid his knife back in the sheath attached to his belt. "Always so stubborn."

"Master Dwarf," Meleth said. "I need you to tell me why you were banished from your family. That way, I can trust you."

Tholgin's gaze flew from Taenor to Esau for approval. Esau opened his eyes to nod before closing them again.

Tholgin sighed. "I was banished—because I was friends with _him_ ," he said as he gestured to Taenor. Taenor looked up from the deer's corpse to grin before resuming his work cutting meat.

"For years and years, Elves and Dwarves have always been bitter to each other, even enemies in some cases, but _my_ family hated the Elves—hated them for their betrayal of my kin," Tholgin explained.

"What happened?" Meleth asked. She sat down, fully engrossed now in Tholgin's story.

"My father did not like to speak of those stories, but my grandfather had no quarrel to tell me of the time when the great dragon Smaug took the kingdom of Erebor away from his people and possessed the treasure hordes there. While they were being invaded, the Wood-Elves from the Woodland Realm came with the intention to assist us, but they abandoned us. Out of revenge or selfishness, I do not know."

Meleth never heard about Smaug, or the kingdom of Erebor. She had spent so much time alone on a farm that she didn't have enough of a connection with the rest of Middle-Earth to know all the stories.

"There were rumors spoken amongst Oakenshield's kin that suggested that one of their own had fallen in love with a Silvan Elf before he was slain during the Battle of the Five Armies, where the fate of Erebor had been decided. My father was furious about these rumors, and his hatred towards the Elves only grew larger, because he refused to find some common ground with the Elves to make good relations."

A dwarf falling in love with a Silvan Elf? How was that even possible? Meleth couldn't wrap her mind around something like that. There must had been something particularly special about this Elf that the dwarf came to like, more than was normal.

"Then I met Taenor during a hunt when there were reports of Orc spies in the mountains and he saved me when a spy had me on the ground with the tip of his spear just several inches above my head—a nasty fix _that_ was, indeed. Taenor wished no ill will on me, and I decided that neither should I," Tholgin finished. Meleth had been so entranced by the story that she didn't even notice that halfway through Tholgin telling it, he had lit a pipe and started blowing smoke rings, one of which floated straight over head.

Taenor sat down next to Tholgin and rested a hand on his shoulder with an affirming smile.

"Tholgin's father did not approve of our friendship. His beard was severed off, and he was banished from the kingdom. The kingdom of Erebor."

"Your father is the king of Erebor?" Meleth asked.

Tholgin stood up and picked up his axe with the intention of making a show of himself. Despite the fact that he had been banished from his home and his beard had been cut off, he wanted to represent his home and his family. He raised his axe in the air.

"I am Tholgin, son of Thorin Stonehelm, who is the King under the Mountain, and I was its prince."**

*Unknown to everyone in their camp, Radagast the Brown was watching them at a safe distance behind a tree, holding a beloved hedgehog of his and petting its head.

"I am Tholgin, son of Thorin Stonehelm, who is the King under the Mountain, and I was its prince," he heard Tholgin say.

Radagast tapped his staff on the ground several times and shut his eyes.

 _Gandalf_. _Mithrandir_.

 _The prince of the Lonely Mountain is on the move_.

For a moment there was nothing but a dreary silence, then, a familiar voice filled the wizard's head.

 _Well done_. _There is still hope for all that walks upon this world_.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: After so long, I'm back with an update. Having gotten so caught up in writing other stories, both for fanfiction and outside of it, and other things in my life, it took me a really long time but now I finally have something for you guys. This story was calling my name again recently and I got to remember so much that I wanted to do with this story. It's a really good one and I want to see to it that it's finished. Enjoy and please leave your feedback!**

"So this will be my fate," Meleth said as she stood with her companions in front of a forked path in the mountains.

It was quite a fix that Meleth found herself in. Esau had fancied himself as an expert compass in situations like this, but so far he was proving himself to be completely useless, and Meleth was beginning to think that Esau himself knew this too.

"My fate is to die in the mountains with an Elf, a Man, and a Dwarf," Meleth said.

"Indeed that is ill thinking. It would have been a better picture if it was just _one_ Elf, and a Man and a Dwarf," Taenor said.

Meleth shot him an irritated glance and then had to look away just as quickly. It was growing increasingly difficult to look at Taenor without staring at his eyes. Those cloudy eyes that hid mysteries. They were both attractive and intimidating at the same time. Of the three companions however, Meleth disliked Taenor the most. He was reckless, impulsive, and stubborn. He refused to talk about why he left the Woodland Realm. She wondered if it was connected to when he made friends with Tholgin.

It didn't matter right then though, because Taenor didn't talk about any of that.

"Worry not Meleth, all is well," Esau said.

"What do you mean? We know not where _we're going_ ," Meleth replied.

"One of these paths will inevitably lead to the slope downwards, and will lead us out of Rohan, and we have our compass."

"You have been proving yourself ineffective in your 'compass talents' so far Mr. Esau…"

"Enough, young one, it is not _me_ I am referring to," Esau said.

Meleth stopped and glanced at Taenor and Tholgin, who were looking at her expectantly. Esau raised his eyebrows and motioned to Meleth with his chin.

"Me?" She asked.

"You told us one time that whatever is waiting for you in the Woodland Realm is drawing you there. You feel its presence, so you should know the direction from where it's coming from too," Esau said.

Meleth began to feel stupid, and she hated feeling that way. But despite how much she wished it was the other way around, Esau was right.

"Just focus, _mellon_ ," Esau said.

Meleth gasped and looked up at Esau. "What did you say?"

"Mellon. The Elvish word for 'friend', surely you know that."

Meleth didn't. But she recognized what mellon meant when Esau said it just now.

"Okay. Okay," Meleth shut her eyes and allowed herself to sink into her thoughts. She could still feel the gem, with whatever power it had, calling to her like a lost child crying for his mother. The cries always did their worst whenever Meleth dreamed. She was beginning to actually feel like a mother who constantly heard her child crying but she couldn't find him to comfort him.

 _Where are you_? _Please, tell me where you are_.

Finally, she opened her eyes and knew.

"The one on our left. This way," Meleth led her companions on through the path on the far left. It started to grow thin, until they had to walk along the path with their chests pressed against the rock wall beside them. Once the path grew out and they were back into a clearing, they saw that the path sloped downhill which would bring them out onto a large green, sprawling field that eventually stopped at the great river, Anduin.

"Your magical senses did not fail us," Tholgin said.

"Just as I believed they would not," Esau said, shooting Meleth a playful wink.

Meleth couldn't help but smile. She _did_ do it. She felt a tickle of joy in her from the presence of the gem, as if the gem itself was somehow happy Meleth succeeded in choosing the right path too.

Then her blood froze at the sound of inhuman shrieking.**

*In a single file line, the Black Fang led his men through the twisting path of the mountains. The stench of man-flesh was evident in the air, and he could also smell the air of a dwarf, and Elves. But there was more than one. Taenor was not the only Elf traveling in this direction. At the forked path, the Black Fang dismounted off his Warg to examine the two different paths for tracks.

On the left. There. There were tracks, and they were fresh.

The Black Fang grinned, ignoring the blinding pain coursing through some of his jagged teeth.

"They went this way. It will lead them to the great river, Anduin. They will be trapped there," he said to his followers.

The Black Fang mounted his Warg again and raised his black sword.

"Be ready! We will have meat tonight!"

His soldiers cheered and raised their swords behind him, all of this while pain continued to cut deep through the Black Fang. His repeated requests to the One to have the pain repressed had been denied over and over again. Reaching Dol Guldur to reinforce the One's soldiers there and dominate the Woodland Realm would surely win the Black Fang the One's respect and obtaining what he wants. A beautiful release from the stabbing pain that messes his vision.**

*"Orcs," Esau said when he heard the shrieking too.

"And not just any kind of Orcs. It's the Ravagers," Taenor said.

"What are we to do? We can't defeat them all," Tholgin said.

Taenor looked at Meleth, as if she had exactly the answer they needed to know how to solve the problem. Meleth could only think of one thing in that moment.

"We need to run for now. Get to the river," she said, pointing at Anduin.

"Are you mad? That is a dead end. They'll corner us like mice," Tholgin complained.

"It is the only way. Do as I say," Meleth said. She knew that Tholgin wouldn't want to be reminded of the time she had put her foot down a few weeks ago about her role in the company. She was the leader and her companions had to do as she said.

"Right," Esau replied, though he looked like he didn't agree at all. Without any more words, they started running.

As they ran across the field, Meleth looked back several times, and it looked like the Ravagers just kept getting closer, no matter how hard she and the others ran to get away.

"We cannot cross! Not without a boat," Taenor pointed out as he kept running.

Meleth smiled. "We may not need one."

Taenor frowned but didn't stop. Meleth remembered once a long time ago when she decided to test one of her own abilities. By setting two different stacks of hay out, she summoned her power to bend the two stacks on opposite sides without physically touching them. She could remember seeing the stacks rustle and quiver in response to her struggling to maintain her power. She had a gift, that much was clear, but she wasn't sure yet at the time if she was powerful enough to use that power effectively, nor did she even know if she wanted it.

It confused her how typical she wished her own life to be.

Regardless of how she felt, Meleth knew she needed to use some of the power she had now in order for her and her companions to stay alive. She raised her hands together in front of her once they weren't much farther away from the river Anduin, and wrenched them in opposite directions with a cry in Elvish.

Two sides of the river exploded away to create a dry path for them to run through to get to the other side.

"Go, go! Do not fear the water!" She cried.

Tholgin appeared as though he feared the water, but Taenor grabbed him by the arm and pulled him along. Meleth stole a glance over her shoulder at the Black Fang and the Ravagers, who had all stopped with shock in their eyes when they saw Meleth's display of power.**

*At first, the Fang sneered and almost let loose a cry of rage. There was no way that they were going to try and stop them in the river should the river come crashing down on him and all of his soldiers. When the She-Elf that was with the company now looked back over her shoulder at them, the Black Fang froze completely.

Those eyes. The shape of the nose and the way the Elf's lips curved into a victorious grin. All of these things the Fang recognized.

Where had the Fang seen this Elf before?

"Master, do we go after them?" One of the Orcs hollered beside him.

The Black Fang shook his head, both in response to the Orc and to free himself from his thoughts. The company was already halfway across the path that would take them to the other side of the Anduin. Parts of the river were already collapsing back to shield them from the Orcs.

"We will be taking a long way to get around," the Fang announced.

"At this rate, we will never catch up to them!" The same Orc complained.

"That is not entirely true," the Fang said. "They are heading North towards Esgaroth. Taenor is a Wood-Elf from the Woodland Realm near there, it is possible that that is where they are heading, which gives us an advantage."

The other Orcs sitting on their Wargs impatiently waited for the Fang's next orders.

"We are heading to Dol Guldur ourselves to prepare the One's last march on the Woodland Realm. If Taenor stays there, he will die with everyone else, including his friends," the Fang said.

Some of the Orcs jeered in agreement and glee. One of them held his spear up high in the air. The Black Fang turned his Warg around so that he was facing the Anduin again. The company was long gone at this point.

"Let them enjoy their last days together. It will not last, and I will kill Taenor myself with my bare hands."


End file.
